Revelation 1:11
Saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last: and, What thou seest, write in a book, and send it unto the seven churches which are in Asia; unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamos, and unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea.
Study Note
Study Note
The risen Christ's command to 'write in a book, and send it unto the seven churches' places the entire Apocalypse within the framework of a circular letter to concrete congregations, grounding cosmic visions in pastoral accountability. The self-designation 'I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last' — drawn from Isaiah 44:6 and 48:12, where it is the exclusive divine self-description — is applied without qualification to the risen Christ, constituting one of Revelation's most direct christological identifications with Yahweh. The seven cities (Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, Laodicea) formed a real postal circuit in the Roman province of Asia, suggesting John expected the letter to travel and be read aloud in worship assemblies. The book's blend of prophecy, epistle, and apocalypse reflects early Christian liturgical practice more than any single ancient genre.
Other Translations
saying, What thou seest, write in a book and send it to the seven churches: unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamum, and unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea.
`I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last;' and, `What thou dost see, write in a scroll, and send to the seven assemblies that <FI>are<Fi> in Asia; to Ephesus, and to Smyrna, and to Pergamos, and to Thyatira, and to Sardis, and to Philadelphia, and to Laodicea.'
Saying, What you see, put in a book, and send it to the seven churches; to Ephesus and to Smyrna and to Pergamos and to Thyatira and to Sardis and to Philadelphia and to Laodicea.
Cross References
Now go, write it before them in a table, and note it in a book, that it may be for …
Thus speaketh the Lord God of Israel, saying, Write thee all the words that I have spoken unto thee in …
Who bare record of the word of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, and of all things that …
John to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace be unto you, and peace, from him which is, and …
I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which …
And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, …
Write the things which thou hast seen, and the things which are, and the things which shall be hereafter;
Unto the angel of the church of Ephesus write; These things saith he that holdeth the seven stars in his …
And unto the angel of the church in Smyrna write; These things saith the first and the last, which was …
And to the angel of the church in Pergamos write; These things saith he which hath the sharp sword with …